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Fossil Wiki
Welcome to The wiki about fossils that anyone can edit Working on since January 5, 2009 (left) and Edward Drinker Cope (right) sparked the Bone Wars.]] Main Article: Bone Wars The Bone Wars, also known as the "Great Dinosaur Rush", refers to a period of intense fossil speculation and discovery during the Gilded Age of American history, marked by a heated rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope (of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia) and Othniel Charles Marsh (of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale). Each of the two paleontologists used underhanded methods to try to out-compete the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and destruction of bones. Each scientist also attacked the other in scientific publications, seeking to ruin his credibility and have his funding cut off. Their search for fossils led them west to rich bone beds in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming. From 1877 to 1892, both paleontologists used their wealth and influence to finance their own expeditions and to procure services and dinosaur bones from fossil hunters. By the end of the Bone Wars, both men had exhausted their funds in the pursuit of paleontological supremacy. Cope and Marsh were financially and socially ruined by their attempts to disgrace each other, but their contributions to science and the field of paleontology were massive, and provided substantial material for further work—both scientists left behind many unopened boxes of fossils after their deaths. The efforts of the two men led to over 142 new species of dinosaurs being discovered and described. The products of the Bone Wars resulted in an increase in knowledge of ancient life, and sparked the public's interest in dinosaurs, leading to continued fossil excavation in North America in the decades to follow. Several historical books and fictional adaptations have been published about this period of intense fossil-hunting activity. ---- Recently featured: Shark evolution ·''' Xiphactinus audax '''· Cretoxyrhina mantelli ; Fossils * Ammonites * Trilobites * Sharks * Dinosaurs * Bony Fish * Humans * Plants * Birds * Reptiles ; Miscellaneous * Mammals * Fossil Formations * Pseudofossils * Collecting Fossils * Microfossils * Trace Fossils * Geologic Ages * Biographies * Extinctions }} ; February 26, 2009 : A new article was created, Menaspis! ; February 26, 2009 : A new article was created, Janassa! ; February 26, 2009 : A new article was created, Petalodontiformes! ; February 26, 2009 : A new article was created, B. montana! ; About Fossil Wiki * About * Frequently Asked Questions * Help * ; Not sure where to start? * Find out more about the wiki on the About page. * If you are new to wikis, check out the ' ', and see . ; Adding content * Every wiki has two list of articles that need help called "Stubs" and ' '. Don't be shy, get in there. * Uploading images is another really easy way to help out - see the ' ' page! * You can find a list of useful templates on Category:Templates, some of which are documented on the templates project page. ; Talk and more... * Check out the community portal to see what the community is working on, to give feedback or just to say hi. * Or head on over to the forums and coordinate with the community on editing, projects, and more. To create a Fossil related article, type a title in the box below, and click Create article. But before you do, please check if the article already exists on a different name. type=create width=24 break=no buttonlabel=Create new article * Fossils of a 10 million-year-old bird are found in Peru. * Greg Retallack, a University of Oregon geology professor, recently donated most of his fossil collection to the University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History. From Fossil Wiki's newest articles: * ... that Pelecaniformes had wingspans up to 6m (20ft) and were somewhat similar to albatrosses? * ... that Ichthyosaurs gave birth to live young, and that a female ichthyosaur fossil was found that was in mid-birth?. * ... that Shastasaurs were the largest of all ichthyosaurs, and that they had reduced or no dorsal fins? * ... that Azhdarchidae is a family of Cretaceous pterosaurs that are named after a dragon in Uzbek mythology? dorsal fin spine from the Cretaceous of Morocco.]] Fossil Wiki is a constantly growing encyclopedia of fossil knowledge. To help the wiki grow, use the search tools provided to find a section of the wiki to help improve. You can improve the wiki by adding more accurate or current information, images, data, and much more. Look around and see how you might like to contribute! __NOEDITSECTION__ Category:Browse